Post by Dom:
We only had one day to get out of Thailand before our visas expired, so instead of crossing into Cambodia over land we took a flight from Bangkok to the capital of Phnom Penh. It was a bit more expensive, but faster with less hassle. Phnom Penh is a dirty city with trash piled on the side of the streets. It's not as big as Bangkok, but traffic is still bad. Everyone honks their horns...constantly. They honk so much, that I think the whole point of the horn is lost. The crazy thing is that locals cross the street even more dangerously than in Thailand. They don't wait for a small break in traffic. They just step out into the street and amazingly cars stop! People on motorbikes ride with virtually anything...ladders, mattresses, giant stacks of boxes. How's that for safety? At least some of them wear helmets, but that won't help the poor soul they hurl into if they get into an accident.

We spent the first couple of days in our hotel because I was having stomach issues and didn't feel up to venturing out. On our third day we woke up early and took a tuk-tuk out to the Killing Fields. The twenty minute ride out there was a symphony of horns honking, hammers clanging, electric saws buzzing and cars & motorbikes zooming by as people went about their day.

The Killing Fields were dead quiet in comparison. It is now a peaceful place. The grounds are surrounded in trees, and butterflies dance through the air. It's hard to imagine the horrific events that took place there just over 30 years ago. But, once you see the tall glass tower that holds 8,000 skulls of the victims, then it's no longer so difficult. So many people tortured and killed...doctors, teachers, women, children. It's hard to believe that similar events are happening in the world right now. We always like to think that we have learned a big lesson after atrocities such as this...but, do we?? We left there with a heavy feeling and sat in silence on the way back to our guest house. Later that afternoon we lightened the mood up a bit by visiting the Royal Palace. It's not as impressive as anything we've seen in Thailand, but there were some pretty flowers to take pictures of.

The following day we took a bus down to the beach town of Sihanoukville. Our bus driver honked the entire way down...all 4 hours. The lazy days on the beach we were hoping for were rained out. Well, it was sunny our first day there, but that was about it. Instead of hanging out at the beach, we spent our days eating, napping, eating, watching Animal Planet, napping, and more eating. Still not a bad way to spend our vacation, but after 4 days (and still no sun) we were ready to leave. Instead of making a straight shot up north to Siem Reap (which would have been a 10 hour bus ride), we decided to stop in Phnom Penh again to break up the trip. So, it was back aboard the bus for us...and again with the honking!

We had one touristy day of hanging out at the National Museum looking at old as dirt statues & carvings. As fate would have it, Myra (who we met in Thailand) was in Phnom Penh at the same time. We met up with her and two new Cambodian friends, Long & Pib, for dinner. We had some delicious Cambodian style BBQ (Phnom Pleung). Our table had it's own stove, and we grilled up beef, shrimp and a whole lot of veggies. It was very helpful going with locals because they took care of all the ordering. All we had to do was stuff our faces. Long speaks English well enough, but Pib...not so much. So, it was a game of charades whenever we tried talking to him. It's funny how when you're trying to get your point across to someone who doesn't understand, you tend to say the exact same thing over & over, except slower & slower...not an effective method. We left with our bellies stretched beyond their limits.

We're having fun in Cambodia, but we miss Thailand. Especially, the food. But, there is one Cambodian dish that I can't seem to get enough of. Amok, which is fish cooked with coconut & lemon grass. It's usually steamed in a banana leaf, but sometimes it's served curry-style. There are also chicken & pork versions, which I find are also quite tasty. I haven't seen any local desserts yet, but I'm always on the hunt for sweets so I'm sure I'll find something soon.

We're headed to Siem Reap next to see the mother of all temples...Angor Wat. I'm really looking forward to it, and expect to be utterly amazed. I'm sure I won't be disappointed. It's off to bed for now though. I hope I can get to sleep. There are some inebriated guys outside who are attempting to sing. They sound more like howling dogs. *d
Phnom Penh Pictures